featured blog posts

Three weeks after my third C-section, I decided to take off my bandage and I was truly horrified. I saw a 2nd incision above my previous C-section scar. What on earth was this OBGYN thinking? I was shocked and angry and really felt violated. I was exhausted and excited to meet my baby, and it really didn't occur to me to remind the doctor on call to cut over my previous C-section. You would think this was common practice and that there were notes in my file about my discussions and expectations for this procedure. Was he careless? Was he disrespectful? Was he in a rush? Was it just easier for him to make a new incision?

The legacy debate this week is now about whether the Pan Am Games will lead Toronto to an Olympic bid. The reality is it doesn't matter. Toronto has already won by hosting a pan-American event that has taught us we can make this city any way we choose.

Governor Jerry Brown, pressing the California agenda on renewable energy and climate change, followed up his successful appearance earlier this month at the Climate Summit of the Americas in Toronto with what looks like an even more successful appearance at the Pope's summit.

Governments of all levels across the country need to consider the mounting evidence for increasing climate variability and create actionable plans for vulnerable persons to ensure that those most likely to be adversely effected by extreme weather events are protected with the right supports. This must start with ending homelessness for as many Canadians as possible and closing the widening income gap that pushes far too many into poor quality housing.

Mandatory body cameras sound like a terrific answer to holding police accountable for their actions, but the reality is that these cameras will not save Black lives, nor will they even give victims of state-sanctioned violence the justice they and their families deserve.

Labor Day weekend is a great time to escape. But not all destinations are created equal. In fact, some places are much more expensive to fly to over Labor Day weekend than others. We rounded up 6 great flight options, where prices are cheaper and free activities abound.

Gentrification can crowd out, or displace, communities (typically ethnic) and social networks whilst newcomers transform the very character of our vibrant communities. It is a blow to low-income residents who often move out or stay behind only to pay higher rents. Our hidden agenda is not so hidden: Sustainable gentrification triggered by planned urban development -- not a brazen force blindly driven by dollars--that protects the most vulnerable in our communities long after the Pan Am athletes pack their bags.

There are too many of us who are randomly stopped by the police, questioned and ridiculed for no reason. Many of us lack an understanding of our basic human rights. But a new smartphone application, developed by a newly minted lawyer and activist, comes as a relief to many of us.

Even though the Games are glossy and exciting, they should be evaluated in terms of the real needs of the city. Had the public known that the original budget for the Games would double, perhaps they would have protested so much we would not have had the games. Officials claim that the first budget was not submitted low on purpose, but the budget was such a mess we really need to question their claim. But considering that the Games are a big hit with influential folks in Toronto, there's not nearly as much criticism of the atrocious waste of money as there would be if, say, Toronto Community Housing was found to have greatly overspent.

Dubbed as an urban oasis, Chef Mark McEwan has taken his six years of knowledge from running his first McEwan food store in the Shops at Don Mills and utilized it to plant roots at his newest location in the heart of the financial district, the Toronto-Dominion Centre PATH.

You may think that the present market condition in Canada is great, after reports of record breaking price increases in Vancouver and Toronto. Bear in mind that they are mostly fuelled by foreign Chinese buyers and local speculators, still unloading overvalued real estate to naïve buyers.

About Toronto

Toronto is Canada's largest city and the capital of Ontario, with more than 2.5 million people in the city proper and 5 million in the wider metropolitan area. It's considered the centre of Canada's banking and financial industry and one of the world's most multicultural cities, with more than 140 languages and dialects spoken within its border. Just over 30 per cent of Toronto residents speak a language other than English or French at home.
The city was established as the town of York in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe and was incorporated as Toronto in 1834.
It's home to a vibrant arts and culture scene, the Toronto International Film Festival, NXNE, the AGO, one of the largest gay pride festivals in the world and four major league sports teams: The Toronto Blue Jays, the Toronto Argonauts, the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs.